Funded by the European Union
The third, and last, in a series of workshops on the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) National Action Plan (NAP) was held on 23-24 February 2015 in Kenya. The two-day workshop was part of the European Union (EU) Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence (CoE) Initiative. This workshop represents the final step in the development of the CBRN National Action Plan (NAP) for Kenya.
The event was opened by the Director of the UN/Multilateral Affairs directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Amb. Anthony Andanje, who reiterated the commitment of Kenya to the EU CBRN Centres of Excellence Initiative, and to Kenya's hosting of the Eastern and Central Africa (ECA) Secretariat. Under the EU CBRN CoE Initiative, each Regional Secretariat ensures cooperation and coordination with partner countries and is responsible for supporting them with the identification of needs, the formulation of regional project proposals, the development of national action plans and the implementation of projects.
The overall purpose of the National Action Plan is to articulate a national vision for CBRN risk mitigation and to identify priorities for building capacity in this area. It also facilitates the identification and implementation of projects and ensures that capacity building is part of a coordinated and sustainable approach. The NAP is designed to ensure that separate efforts are incorporated into one coherent approach that strengthens national CBRN capacities for prevention, detection, preparedness and response to CBRN threats. Its development is based on a voluntary and bottom-up approach entirely led by countries who decide which information to include in the NAP and how it will be used.
The main objective of the workshop was for the National CBRN Team and international experts to conduct a final review of the National Action Plan.
The National agencies present at the workshop were: Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Bomb Unit; Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI); Kenya National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC); Kenya Red Cross Society; Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Ministry of Health, Government Chemist Department; Ministry of Interior, Kenya Citizens and Foreign Nationals Management Service; National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU); Nuclear Security Coordination Center; Radiation Protection Board; St. John Ambulance Kenya; Technical University of Kenya; and, the University of Nairobi.
The meeting was also attended by experts from UNICRI, who facilitated the work of the National Team, and a representative from the Delegation of the European Union to Kenya.
The EU CBRN CoE Risk Mitigation Initiative is funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC). The initiative is developed with the technical support of relevant international and regional organizations, the EU Member States and other stakeholders, through coherent and effective cooperation at the national, regional and international level. The initiative involves 48 countries in 8 regions of the world.
For more information:
- CBRN Centres of Excellence website: http://www.cbrn-coe.eu/
- European Commission, Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace website (see section about "Stable Situations"):http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/node/7350